Surprisingly to me, the answer to this question is YES! I had always thought that, as far as any unincorporated group goes, you could sue the principals of the group doing business as the group name. Turns out, you can sue the group directly . OCGA 9-2-25 states that “Actions may be maintained against and in the name of any unincorporated organization or association for any cause of action for or upon which the plaintiff therein may maintain such an action against the members of the organization or association.” The most common application of suing an unincorporated association are actions against religious groups and churches (there is apparently, I have learned, a significant group of people than think incorporating your church is ungodly), but there are other organizations out there that are not incorporated. We have found instances where title to real estate is held in the name of the unincorporated association, so naming this association as a defendant would allow us greater access to assets that may be used to pay a judgment. Of course, some courts charge an additional filing fee for an additional defendant, and every defendant still must be served with process, so you should make sure it is cost efficient to name an additional entity before moving forward. If you have any questions about this article, please contact David Stuart by email.
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